The desire for a putter providing improved putting accuracy and control is well documented by the vast number of patents directed to golf putters. Several issued patents in this area disclose putters having striking faces which are made from a different, generally more resilient material than the body of the putter head itself which is typically made from a metal or other rigid material, such as graphite or a ceramic composite.
One of the earliest known putters having a striking face made from a resilient material is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,211,455. The resilient material is preferably rubber having a hardness between 65 and 85 durometers. The resilient striking face is said to provide the golfer with a greater sense of touch or feel during stroking of the ball.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,156,526 discloses a putter having a putter head which defines an elongate cavity in which a resilient block is disposed. The resilient block serves as the putter striking face. The block is shaped such that when a golf ball is struck, the rearwardly deformed area of the block assumes an elliptical shape which moves in a vertical direction relative to the golf ball. In this manner, it is said that the golf ball is not diverted from a path normal to the putter's striking surface by the deformation of the resilient material.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,422,638 discloses a golf putter having a soft face formed from an elastomer having a high resilience and a hardness greater than about 70 durometers. The high resilience of the elastomer is believed to cause the ball to rebound sharply without energy loss thereby increasing the distance of ball travel. This is said to permit the use of a shorter backswing to thereby increase the accuracy of the putting stroke.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,083,778 also discloses a golf putter having a resilient laminated striking face secured to a rigid putter head. The laminated striking face includes an outer layer of resilient material adapted for striking a golf ball and inner layer of resilient material which is secured to the club face undersurface as defined by the putter head body and which has a hardness less than that of the outer layer. The laminate is typically employed as an insert in a rigid putter head.
Thus, although a number of different putters exist which employ an elastomeric striking surface, none of these putters is adapted for removal or replacement of the elastomeric surface. Rather, the prior art devices only contemplate the production of putter heads including a built-in elastomeric striking surface.
Therefore, a need exists for improvements in putter heads whereby an existing rigid putter head can be converted to a putter head including an elastomeric striking surface. Further, there is a need for an adaptor for providing an elastomeric striking surface to putter heads, which adaptor may be easily removed for repair and/or replacement of the elastomeric striking surface.